It’s next matchup for Creamline after first loss
Jaja Santiago-Minowa and the Creamline Cool Smashers are taking their first loss of the PVL Invitational Conference in stride, and will shift their attention to trying to book a ticket to the finals when they battle defending champion PLDT on Sunday.
Santiago-Minowa and the Cool Smashers saw their three-game unbeaten run ended by a quick and gritty EST Cola side, 17-25, 25-21, 25-22, 27-25, as the Thais forced a tie at 3-1 at the top of the standings on Friday night at Smart Araneta Coliseum.
“I think our problem today was our out-of-system blocking. We had the passing and the attack, but we struggled with our out-of-system block. They scored a lot against us in those situations, especially their lefty,” said Santiago-Minowa in Filipino after her 19-point effort wasn’t enough.
“I think that’s also something we need to work on before facing PLDT. We have to work twice as hard because we only have two games left. We need to bounce back quickly since we only have one day to prepare, and our next game is on Sunday.”
Creamline, which settled for bronze in last year’s weeklong tournament, tries to complete its comeback to the Invitational final against the defending champion PLDT at 6:30 p.m.
“I think it’s about taking it one point at a time and one set at a time. Everyone is preparing and everyone wants to win,” said Santiago-Minowa.
“It’s about how you overcome the pressure, how you step up and play harder, and how much you want the win. Everyone is already tired, so at this point, it’s really about who can endure until the end.”
Four teams are still fighting for the two finals slots, with Creamline and EST Cola tied at 3-1. Nxled and PLDT are knotted at 2-2, with the reigning champs holding a 7-6 edge in the FIVB point-system tiebreak.
Creamline and EST Cola, which takes on Vietnam’s Ho Chi Minh City at 4 p.m., need to win both of their matches to set a winner-take-all game on Tuesday.
Papatchaya Phontham erupted for 27 points off 24 kills, two blocks and an ace to beat Creamline. Nannaphat Moonjakham had 16 points and 15 excellent receptions. Nirarach Srikuta tallied 12 points and 15 receptions, while setter Serah Ankomah, who also translates for the team in interviews, was a revelation from the bench with 13 excellent sets.
Santiago-Minowa already met some of the members of EST Cola, who won three straight games in the PVL. The Thais held a training camp when the Filipino middle blocker was still with Osaka Marvelous in the Japan SV.League.
“They’re really impressive. I actually know some of them because I think they’re the next generation. They had a training camp in Japan with Osaka Marvelous, the team I played for two years ago,” said Santiago-Minowa.
“They’re under 18, and their improvement has been incredible. Their outside hitters and opposite are really powerful. It’s impressive to see players that young playing at that level. We really have to find a way to overcome that.”
The Chameleons need to win their final elimination game against the Farm Fresh Foxies in three or four sets at 1:30 p.m. and hope for either Creamline or EST Cola to lose to make it to the championship match.
Savi Davison and the High Speed Hitters need a loss from Nxled in the first game and to pull off a big win over the 11-time champion to keep their title defense going.
